Vehicle body



5Pf- 21, 1943- R. J. THERlAuL-r 2,330,182

VEHICLE BOD:r

Filed Dec. 1, 1939 'I' Sheets-Sheet 1 Q E? I I PIG. '2

PICLB IVN l i v.\ t..

... L Q `Julllllllll' of 53 I{IHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIlIHI INVENTOR:

Raymond lTheriault A TTORNEK Sept. 2l, 1943.

R. J. THERIAULT VEHICLE BODY I ch Filed Dec. t 7 Sheds-Sheet 2 1! .Q LL

INVENTOR. m* RaymondlTheriuuH Sept 21, 1943- R J. THERIAULT 2,330,182

VEHIGLE BODY Filed Dec. 1. 1939 7 Sheetsheat 3 I I! I' INV EN TOR.

Raymond l Therinult BY fx A TTORNE Y.

Sei*- 21, 1943- R ,-J. THERlAuL-r 2,330,182

VEHICLE BODY Filed Dec. l. 1939 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 PICL'? INVENTOR.

Rayma Umana ATTORNEY.

Sept. 21, 1943. R. J. THERIAULT VEHICLE BODY Filed Dec, 1. 1939 7Sheets-Sheet 5 fra, l(

l N VEN TOR Roy mond I. Therault ATTORNEY.

SePt- 2l, 1943.` R. J. THERIAULT 2,330,182

VEHICLE BODY Filed Dec. 1, 1939 'r sheds-sheet s il INV .w/xymondlnzerault 1316.16

Sept. 21, 1943. R. J. THERIAULT VEHICLE BODY Filed Dec. l. 1939 7YSheets-Sheet 7 ...u V. m r E 7 m .m N 4 ET. m w L V rJ T ).l x x IA/ N dI f/ 'l n A v l... x 21N m .14 mi Psinad Sept. 21, 1943 VEHICLE BODYRaymond J. Theriault, Philadelphia, Pa., signor to Edward G. BuddManufacturing Com Philadelphia,la., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication December 1, 1939. Serial No.` 307,011

6 Claims.

The invention relates to vehicle bodies and more particularly to avehicle body of the bus type as used for long distance travel. In suchvehicles, the body is commonly of a width extending laterally beyond thewheels and the floor of the passenger compartment is for the most partabove the wheel housings, the sides of the vehicle being extended downclose to the ground and the space below the passengers compartment beingutilized for storage space, for baggage and spare tires, etc., andvtoprovide engine room. Such vehicles are ordinarily provided with alongitudinally central depressed licor portion or aisle. Furthermore,such buses usually carry the engine at the rear end transverse to thebody, utilize the space below the door of the passenger compartment fora luggage storage compartment; and the space at the front end under saidfloor may serve to receive the spare tire or tires.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle body especially ofthe aforesaid class, .which is light in weight. and has a very roomyinterior and in which the walls of the body are all constructed asload-carrying members to take longitudinal and side collision shocks andso that 25 the tubular body cross section formed by the side walls, roofand flooring acts as a tubular beam to carry the vertical loads betweenthe iront and rear wheel supports.

To achieve these objects in the highest degree the body is constructedin the main of a framework of angular. channel and/or box-cross sectionmembers fabricated out oi.' light-gauge sheet metal of high tensilestrength, such as stainless steel oi the la and 8 variety. and the outersheathing and flooring is for the most part built of corrugated metalstrips with the corrugations so directed as to make the ooring andsheathing load-carrying members in combination with cular, deep boxopposite sides of e all of them assist v body is spring-supported on theaxles adlacent their ends and the longitudinally extending aisle well isfabricated to form a deep wide channel section well adapted to take bothvertical and longitudinal collision loads.

Finally, the entire under part of the body below the passengercompartment is transversely reinforced by transverse bulkheads, someforming the front and rear walls of the wheel housings and l0 fabricatedto resist lateral shocks and tied to the side walls and to the mainlongitudinal members ot the under body for the mutual strengthening andstabilizing o! the members so joined together.

Other and further objects and advantages and the manner in which theyare attained will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when read in connection with the drawings forming a parthereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view o! a bus bodyaccording to the invention:

Fig. 2 is a front view of the body with parts broken away;

x Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on an enlargedscale, the view being taken substantially along the line 3 3 o! Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side elevational view showing the principalframework of the body:

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the framework, the section beingtaken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4:

Pig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view on an enlarged scalethrough the vehicle body. the

a@ section being extended beyond the center line of the body and beingtaken substantially along the line l-l of Fig. 1;

Fis. 'I is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view through thelower portion of the side wall of the body, the section being taken onthe line 'I-1 of Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is s fragmentary sectional plan view. thesectionbeingtakenonthelinel-Oofl'igll; Fig.Qisafragmentarytransversevertical sectional view thmugh the bottom wallinwardly of the portion of said wall shown in Fig. I and between thefront and rear wheel'housings:

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional su view through the upper part of theside wall and the side ofthe roof corresponding to the section in'Fig. 7but taken on the section line II--Il of Fis. 1:

Iligs. ii. 12, 13, are fragmentary detailsectionalviewsonanenlargedscaletakmrespectively. on the lines ll-li,I2-i2, and l'l-IS of Fig.

Fig. 14 is a detail longitudinal vertical sectional view through thecentral portion of the roof:

Fig. l5 is a horizontal sectional plan view, on an enlarged scale, ofthe rear end of the body, the section of the left half of the body(upper part of the figure) being taken slightly above the lower marginoi the window openings of the body and the section of the right hall ofthe body (lower part oi the figure) being taken just, beneath the centeraisle `flooring:

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the lineIB-Ii of Fig. through the lower rear portion o! the body;

Fig. i7 is a rear elevational view of the body on a larger scale thanFig. l;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view takensubstantially on the line lB--lll of Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view, the sectionbeing taken along line Il-ll of Fig. 20;

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken along the line 262lof Fig. 19;

Flglisasimilarvlewtakenalongtheline 2|2I of Fig. 20.

In the sectional views the sections are taken looking in the directionof the arrows at the ends of the section lines.

The vehicle body according to the invention has its underframe, the sidewalls and the rooi all so constructed and tied together that theensemble provides in etfect, a tubular beam supported adjacent its endsby the front and rear wheels and axles. To achieve maximum lightness oi'weight, the construction provides that all the wallsof the bodymentioned assist in carrying the vertical loading.

As shown in Figures 5, 6, l5 and 16, the main longitudinal members oithe. underframc may comprise the vertically deep box section andrectilinear beams il spaced from each other and from the side walls oithe body and arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the verticalcentral plane of the body. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, these membersextend from a location in iront or the front wheels and their associatedaxle il rearwardly over the rear wheel axle l2 and terminate at the rearsome distance beyond the rear wheels.

An additional longitudinal load 'carrylns structure of the underframeextending between and beyond the front and rear axles is a wide and deepchannel designated generally by the reference numeral Il. this channelbeing o! a depth substantially equal to the depth of the members ll andhaving its top in the plane of the tops of these members. The tops ofthe members I0 and Il define the general floor plane oi' the passengercompartment, which plane is well above the wheels so as to permitvertical movement of the wheels and axles with respect to the bodywithout having the wheels contact the flooring.

The main longitudinal members il may, for lightness of construction. bebuilt up of a bottom channel chord Il and top spaced angles I6. theangles Il being connected with the opposite side walls of the channel bylongitudinally corrugated web plates II. Y

Similarly the channel ll may comprise a bottom shallow channel chordformed by spaced angles i1 interconnected by transversely corrugatediloorsheeting It which tormsa aisle flooring runningsubstantiallyggthroughout the length of the vehicle body. The channelmember Il has spaced top angles I8, the bottom and top angles l1 and l!of each side being interconnected by longitudinally corrugated webplates 20.

The main raised portion of the flooring from which the seats 2l aresupported comprises transversely corrugated floor sheeting 22 secured tothe laterally extending arms oi' the angles I5 and I9. The sides of thefloor sheeting are secured to the side walls in the manner subsequentlyto be described.

The corrugations of the floor sheeting I8 and 22 are filled with asuitable sound deadening and wear resisting filler 23 such as cork or acork product or the like. As shown in Figure 6, the edges oi this 1111erare protected at the sides of the channel il by angular metal nishmembers as 24 secured to the angles i9.

The main longitudinal members I0 and i3 and the floor sheeting 22 whichinterconnects them are further transversely connected to each other andto the side walls of the body by spaced trans verse bulkheads indicatedgenerally in Figures l, 3, 4, 5, 6, l5 and 16 by the reference numeral28. Two of these bulkheads are arranged adjacent to and fore and aft ofeach of the front and rear wheels while the fifth one is arranged at anintermediate point. These bulkheads stabllize and strengthen thelongitudinal members of the underrame and tie them into the side wallsand enable a substantial portion of the vertical loading to be carriedby the side walls.

Since these bulkheads are all essentially similar in construction, adescription of one of them will sufllce. As shown in Figures 6 and 16,each bulkhead may comprise an upper channel 26 and a lower channel 21.these channels extending from side to side o! the body for securementtothe side walls. The upper channel 28 is secured through its bottomwall to the laterally extending arms of the angles l1 and to the bottomwalls of the channels i4. The vertically spaced channels 26 and 21 areinterconnected by transversely corrugated sheeting 26 extending fromside to side of the body. To further stiifen and strengthen thebulkheads and to provide anchorage for the spring suspension in thebulkheads adjacent the wheels, they are strongly reinforced in directvertical alignment with the beams Il) by vertical struts designatedgenerally by the reference character 2l. These vertical struts maycomprise spaced channels lll overlapping at their tops the oppositesides of the beams IU and secured thereto and extended down to thebottom oi the body. The side walls oi' the channels adjacent thetransversely corrugated sheeting 2B of the bulkhead are secured to thissheeting and to the top and bottom channels 26 and 21 of the bulkhead.The opposite sides of the channels are connected by dat plates 3l andadditionally by an angle 22 in the intermediate bulkheads 2B, thehorizontal arm of this angle being secured to the bottom wall of thechannel Il.

As shown in Figure 6 and at the right of Figure 16, the members Il and32 are spaced apart and the corrugated sheeting is omitted opposite thisspace to permit the passage of the spring Il which supports the bodyfrom the axle in this regionthe end of this spring being connected by ashackle v84 to a strong bracket $5 strongly secured to the channels 30and projecting through an opening, not shown, in the bulkhead sheathing26. Theoppositeendotthlsspringisshown connected to brackets 36 which aredirectly secured tothe channels 3l, only one of them being visible inPls. 16.

It will thus be seen that the struts designated generally by the numeral29 form the means for directly supporting the ends of the longitudinalbeams III from the wheel and axle suspension. It will be understood thatwhere a shorter spring can be used, both ends of the spring could bedirectly secured to the struts 29 in the manner shown at the lett ofFigure 16 and as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1 in the case olboth `front and rear spring suspensions.

Each bulkhead may be further reinforced as shown in Figure 6 by anglemembers 21 extending from the bottom of the bulkhead to the flooring 22,these angles overlapping the bulkhead members 26, 21 and 28 and beingsecured thereto and in their upper extended portions overlapping theside walls of the aisle channelY i3 and secured thereto. Laterally ofthe main longitudinal frame members i6, the corrugated bulkhead sheeting28 may be extended upwardly to the flooring and secured at the top tothe flooring 22, through an angle 38 and to the channel 26, at thebottom by another angle 39. Between the central channel I3 and the mainbeams I0 and below the channel I3 the bulkhead sheeting may be omittedas shown in Fig. 6 to provide longitudinal openings through whichVentilating ducts, piping and Wiring conduits may extend. As shown inFig. l hereinafter described, the4 bulkhead members, as 26, 21 and 28overlap vertical members of the side walls and are secured thereto.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the plate-typebulkheads form a very strong transverse reinforcement between the sidewalls, the oorlng and the main longitudinal members of the underl'rametying these parts together and stabilizing the longitudinal membersagainst bending or distortion under normal vertical loading or whensubjected to collision shocks.

The side walls are constructed as transversely thin vertically deepplate girder structures adapted to carry a substantial part of thevertical load between the points of suspension. These side wallstructures each comprise longitudinally spaced posts 46 (see Figure 4)extending from above the window openings 4I below the iioor level to thebottom of the side wall of the body, which except at the wheel housings,is located a substantial distance below the door level and adjacent theroadway. These vertical posts are interconnected at the bottom by alongitudinal member or bottom rail 42, at the floor level by alongitudinal member or floor rail 43, below the window openings by alongitudinal member or belt rail 44 and at the top of the windowopenings by a longitudinal member or top rail 4l. As shown in Figures 4,6, 7, 8, 10 and ll, the posts 46 may be of outwardly facing flangedchannel sec- 'tion and the longitudinal members 42 to 45 inclusive maybe inwardly facing ilanged channel members secured to the posts throughthe overposts 40 terminate at the iloor level. ther posts as 54 merelyextend from the iioor lapping ilanges of these members and the post langes. Between the members 42 and 43 and 43 and 44 the longitudinallycorrugated sheeting 46 is applied to the posts and secured thereto, thetop and bottom margins of this sheeting being secured also to theadjacent marginal flanges of the members 42, 4l, 44.

As shown in Figures 6, 'l and 8, the longitudinal member 42 has itslower side wall deepened betweenthepostsandasshuwnmFlgures'l anda aswell as Figure 6, the floor sheeting 22 has its lateral edge extendedover this deepened side wall and secured thereto as by spot welds. Tofurther secure the flooring to the longitudinal member 42 in the regionof the posts, an angle 41 bridges the posts and is secured thereto andto the downwardly extending edge flange of the bottom wall of thechannel 43 in regions beyond the posts through one arm thereof andthrough the other arm it is secured to the iloorlng 22. At the posts, asshown in Figure 8, the iloorlng 22 is cut away to receive them.

At the bottom the side walls of the vehicle are further interconnectedby transversely corrugated sub-licor sheeting 43 which overlaps thebottom wall of the channel 42 at the sides, is secured thereto and isfurther secured to the posts in this region by an inner angle member 4lwelded to the bottom oi' this sheeting and to the inside faces of theposts. The ends oi this sub-door sheeting are secured as shown in Figure16 to the channels 21 of the bulkheads 25 arranged longitudinallyinwardlyA o! the wheels. In line with the vertical struts 29 thecorrugated sub-nooring is reinforced from the bulkhead longitudinallyinward of the front wheels to the bulkhead just forward of the rearwheels by ilanged channel members 5l) welded to the sheeting 43 throughthe flanges thereof (see Figures 6, 9 and 16).

This transversely corrugated sub-licor sheeting 4l not only interbracesthe sde walls at their lower margins but serves as a floor for a baggagecompartment or compartments provided between the inwardly locatedblkheads adjacent the wheels, the flooring and the side walls. Accessmay be had to this baggage storage space through door openings 5Inormally closed by doors and operiliing through the lower portions orthe side wa s.

The side wall plate girder structures are further reinforced andstabilized to carry the vertical loading by vertical posts 62 locatedbetween certain of the posts 40 and extending from the bottom of thewindow openings to the bottom of the body. Other posts as 63 like theposts 42 extend above the Vwindow opening but unlike the Still furrail43 to the lower window rail 44. As shown in Figures 4, 5, 8, l5 and i6,some of these posts are of flanged channel cross-section while othersare of Z cross-section. but in all cases, they provide a flange or angeswhich overlap the sheeting and through which they are secured theretoand an inner longitudinally extending face against which the inner trim55 may be secured.

The side wall plate girders are of course, strongly connected to theliulkheads by having the transverse channels 26, 21, and the corrugatedsheeting 23 thereof overlapping posts of the side walls arranged in` thetransverse planes of the bulkheads and strongly secured together in theoverlap, see Figs. 4, 5,* 8 and 16. Thus the side walls are stabilizedby the bulkheads and vertical .loading therein is carried through thebulkheads to the main longitudinal members of the Lmderirames and to thewheels and axles.

The posts 4l and I3 which extend upwardly between .the window openingsto support and secure the `roof structure are of especially reinforcedconstruction in their upper regions as showninthetypicalconstructlonillustratedin Figures i0 to 13 inclusive. These posts arecomprised of a lower portion 66 of uniformcrosssection terminating atthe bottom or the window opening and an upper portion Bl which extendssome distance below the window opening and is of an increasing depthtrom below the window opening to its upper end above the windowopening'. This upper portion I1, like the lower portion 5B. may comprisea ilanged channel, the flanges of which form outer abutments for awindow but in the portion thereof which extends below the window openingthese ilanges are cut away and the side walls of the channel overlap theside walls of the lower post portion I6 and are welded thereto (see Fig.l1) Additional strength in the joint is secured by a plain strip 58welded to the bottom wall of the channel 5l and to the bottom wall ofthe channel 56. The post in this region as shown in Figxre 1l isadditionally tied to the longitudinal rail Il by a iianged channelbridge ing member i! which has its flanges secured to the bottom of thechannel I4 and its bottom wall secured to the flanges o! the channelpost portion li. An additional channel member Sli overlapping the sidewalls ot'the post portions 68 and Il and is secured thereto forms afurther reinforce for the Joint. As shown in Figures 6 and l0, the upperilange oi' the iianged channel Il is cut away in the region of the postsbut between the posts the upper side wall of the channel is extendedinwardly to form the window sill and is ilanged upwardly and to thisedge flange the inner trim i! may be secured. Angles, .as 55'. maysecure this inwardly extended upper side wall of the channel M to theposts, as 40, see Fig. 6. Between the longitudinal rails 44 and g l5 thepost portion 51 is closed to box-section form by a ilat closing plate Ilwelded to th ilanges of the channel Il of the post.

At the top the post portions 51 are connected on their inner side by anangle member i! extending longitudinally across the posts, this angularmember having an inwardly extending flange Fig. 6. between the postsforming abutments tor the tops of the windows. The windows Il are shownas vertically movable windows and they are guided for this movement bycurved window guides secured to the opposite side walls of the channelsl1 and extended thereabove and secured to the roof structure in a mannerto be subsequently described.

As shown in Figures 6 and 10, the posts in the window region, areinclined inwardly and above the window openings a transversely archedroof section is secured thereto. This roof section may compriselongitudinally spacedouter angles il which overlap one side wall oi' theupper pore tions of the channel section posts il (see Figures l and 13)and are secured theretol these angles extending from side to side of thebody and conforming to the arched form of the root. Inner arched anglemember 61 spaced from the member BB and secured at its outer end to thebottom and side wall of the top of the channel post E1 terminate shortof the central longitudinal plane of the body and form with the membersBS and the diagonal struts 6B interconnecting them vertically deeptransverse root members in the lateral regions o! the roof. At the sidewhere the rooi curves intoV the side wall each pair of angles lll and 61are further interconnected by a plate B9, this plate being oi' generallytriangular shape and extending inwardly beyond the members 81 to form abracket. Lightening holes may be provided in this plate as shown inFigures 6 and 10 and the portion thereof projecting beyond the membersil may be flanged laterally at 10. To the lower ilanged margins of thesemembers 09 :,ssonse which are shown curved and inclined inwardly andupwardly is secured the through-running longitudinally corrugated sheetIl the outer margin of which is secured to the longitudinal member 62and the inner margin of which is secured to the upwardly extendedportion 'l2 which itself is secured to the inner upwardly extendingilange 10 oi the plate B9. The parts 69,

1I and 12 roi-m a rack for small parcels which l0 extends, as shown inFigure l. for substantially the length oi' the vehicle. A rubber bumper'l2' may be secured to inner margin oi the rack. see

Fig. l0.

The window guide 6l at one side of the post l5 portion 51 is extendedabove the post and secured in this extended portion to the plate $9.

The window guide 65 on the other side of the post 51 is supportedin theregion above the post by several transverse brackets 'il which areconnected to the angles it and l1 as shown in Figure 13.

The transverse members Bl ci' the roof are tied together throughouttheir length by the longitudinally corrugated roof sheeting Il extendingfrom the top side rail 4B and secured thereto to the similar top siderail on the opposite side o! the body.

I'he roof and top side wall structure as described forms a very stil!longitudinally extending beam structure at the side edge of the roo!which is tied into the deep transverse cantilever beams formed by thereinforced tops of the posts and the transverse vertically deep sideportions oi the transverse members oi' the roof. producing an ensemblewhich is capable of withstanding severe lateral thrusts such as wouldoccur it the vehicle body should be overturned.

The central portion of the roof is made, as shown in Figures 6 and 14.oi' very shallow ver- 4o tical depth, the transverse angles I8 in thisregion each being reinforced by an angle 15, to the horizontallyextending arms oi' which the inner lining 16 may be secured. 'Ihe sidesof this vertical shallow portion merge into the deeper side portions bydownwardly and outwardly inclined faces conforming to the inner diagonalstruts 6I. and these faces may serve for the location oi' lighting andventilating members. The deep side portions of the roof are well adaptedto house portions oi the ventiiating duct system and the shallow centralportion oi' the roof provides additional head room in the central aislesection of the vehicle so that even the tallest passengers can walkupright without adding to the overall height oi' the vehicle.

The side walls may be said to terminate at the i'ront in the verticalposts 11 which are shown as z-sectioned members (see Figures 2 to 5)secured to the foremost bulkhead II and extending from the bottom of thebody to the top window rail 45. The post 11 at the right-hand side oi'the body forms the rear margin of the door opening in this side oi' thebody. This post 11 is arranged very close to the foremost post Il in theside wall and these two posts together by reason oi' their stronginterconnection by the numerous longitudinal members and the panelingbetween the longitudinal members form a very strong connection to theroot to transmit compression loading into the roof.

From the post 11 forward the sides merge into the rounded front end oithe body, this portion being rounded in plan as well asy in elevation togive it a -pleasing appearance. The framework of this rounded front endcomprises two lateral gitudinally extending posts Il of anged channelsection and a central post 19 of similar section. these posts extendingfrom the bottom of the body up over the roof to the nrst .transverseroof frame member 66 to which they are secur These post members Il and'I9 are secured together at the top by the top side rail It or acontinuation thereof extended around the front of the body from side toside as clearly appears in Figures 2 and 4.

'I'he window openings provided in this front between the posts are ofgreater vertical height than the side window openings so as to give thedriver seated on the drivers seat lill, Figure l, a more extendedvision. As a consequence, the lower window rail li extending aroimd thefront is at a lower level than the lower window rail 4l inthesidewalls.Theiloorraillloftheside walls may. however, be. extended around tbefront in a manner to the top rail 4B except where it is interrupted byopenings, such as the doorway opening at the right hand side, and thesame is true. to some extent.'of the bottom rail 42 which is extended atleast partly around the front end from its sides, see Figs 2.

It. might be pointed out here that the bottom rectilinear rails 42 atthe sides are continued through the arched wheel housing portions of theside walls by correspondingly arched angular members l2 secured to theouter sheeting in the margins of these wheel housing openings. Thecorrugated paneling 48 of the side walls is also extended around thefront end as clearly appears in Figure 2 and the paneling, rails andposts are strongly secured together in a manner similar to the ioinderof these parts in the side walls.

The main longitudinal members l of the underframe terminate at thefront, as hereinbefore described. `at the forward bulkhead 2l and arestrongly secured thereto and to the vertical struts 2l forming a partthereof. These members are extended forwardly beyond the bulkhead to thefront end of the body by vertically deep laterally facing channels ilsecured to the inner channel of the vertical struts 29. Lonnangedchannels 84 similar to the channels $0 between the wheel housings areextended to the front end of the body from the forward bulkhead 25 and atransversely corrugated panel I5 extends between channels 83 and theirassociated flanged channels Il and is secured thereto. The space betweenthe channels !3 is open at the front through the forward wall, thisopening being provided with a door and the space so provided serving tohouse a spare tire indicated in dotted lines at It.

The front end is further reinforced above the channels t3 by a'transverse member B1 of forwardly facing channel section, this memberbeing secured at the sides to vertical posts lil extending from thebottom window rail 8l to the bottom rail ,42 and at the centerto thelower end of the centerpost1l,seeFig.2. Allthesemembersare stronglysecured together in their overlapping regions and to the sheeting andare further secured through vertical posts 89 arranged in the plane ofthe side walls of thecentral aisle channel I3 to the left-hand side andbottom of this aisle member which are extended clear to the end of thebody.

Thus the central longitudinal member i3 and the side longitudinalmembers Ill forming the main longitudinal members -of the underframe areextended, the latter through the vertical deep laterally facing channelsIl all the way to the front end of the body where they are stronglytransversely interconnected.by the transverse members and l1 so that theentire ensemble provides a strong collision front through which thecollision shocks against thefront end are transmitted into theunderfraxne.

As shown in Figure 3, the right-hand (left in Fig. 3) wall of the aislechannel I is omitted forwardly of the front bulkhead 2i and the flooringi! also terminates on the same side at this bulkhead to provide in frontthereof a step well leading from the-central aisle channel Il to thedoorway. `The door of this step well comprises an outer wide step platelil supported by an outer sill 9| and the lower side wall of theadjacent channel 83 and secured thereto. The channel 8l forms a riserfor the step n which is located in elevation half-way between the levelof the plate lll and the bottom of the aisle channel It. A Z-sectionmember I3 forms the riser between the step i! and the bottom of thechannel Il, this member Il being supported `by an angle 94 from thefront bulkhead II and at the front by the adjacent vertical post 8l. Thestep 92 may be a corrugated plate supported at one side on the top sidewall of the channel I3 and on the other side by the bottom arm of the zmember It to both of which members it is secured. Angles Ul may besecured in the angles between the steps and the risers to further securethese parts together. A scuif plate IB may be applied to the front ofthe lower riser and a similarangularscuifplatel issecuredtotheupperriser and overlaps by its horizontally extending arm the corrugatedoorlng Il and noor covering of the aisle portion.

The compound curved forward portion of the roof in front of the drsttransverse member i0 may be covered by plain sheeting 91' (see Figure l)which conforms to the curvature of this portion of the roof.

The side walls are extended rearwardly of the rear bulkhead II and eachterminate at their slightly in-turned rear portions in a strong verticalpost BI of longitudinally presenting channel section. Between theseposts the space below the bottom window rail Il which is continuedaround the rounded rear end and the bottom rail i! is open and normallyclosed by a pair of doors il one hinged to each post il and overlappingat their free edges and suitably secured together in a manner not shown.The bottom flanged channel member I2 of the side walls is also extendedaround the rounded rear end as shown in the section view of Figure i8and a bumper ill of rubber or the like is extended around the rear endon the outside of this member. The rail l2 between the posts 08. and thebumper |00 may be removable so as to permit easy installation or removalof the engine. It will be noted that, for the indicated reason, theaforesaid members are omitted in Figures i. a, 5 and i6.

As shown in Figures 1 and i6 the central channel I3 terminates short ofthe rear bulkhead in a vertical transverse panel IIII' and from thispoint to some distance rearwardly of the bulkhead the transverseflooring 22 extends from side to side of the body. From this rearportion of the iloor plating 22 extends a y and upwardly inclinedtransverse wall IUI which may be of vertically corrugated sheeting, thetop of the plane of the longitudinal member Il and the space between thetop of this wall lill and the member Il being longitudinal members ofthe bridged by a shelf which may also be made oi' transverselycorrugated plating designated |02. The iloor paneling 22 and thecorrugated sheeting III and |02 may be joined together in their adjacentedges by angles designated generally iN and welded through their armsrespectively to the adjacent edges of the panels.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the space below thepanels |02, illi and that portion of the flooring 22 extendingrearwardly of the bulkhead is open to provide a housing for the usualtransversely located en- Iline unit.

To support this engine unit and to extend the main longitudinal membersi to the rear end o! the body to transmit collision shocks directly tothese members, inclined braces IM are provided extending from the rearbulkhead 2l in the region of its connection to the longitudinal membersIB to the side posts 98. These braces ma'y comprise composite structureswhich are shown in the present instance to comprise a downwardly facingtapered channel MI5 secured through its wide bottom wall to the bottomchannel 21 of the bulkhead and to the bottom of the adjacent verticalstrut 29 including the channels 30 by means of angles N6 weldedrespectively to the bottom walls of the channels Il and to the bottomwall of the channel |05. Each of these braces is secured at its outerend to the bottom wall of the adjacent post 88. This channel III! isreinforced to strengthen it to support vertical and coliison loads by avertically deep lateral facing channel |01 which is strongly securedthrough its bottom side wall to the bottom wall of the channel lili andextends from end to end of the channel |06. The vertical bottom wall ofthis channel |01 also overlaps at its outer end the bottom wall of thepost 88 and is strongly secured thereto and at its inner end it issecured to the adjacent channel by an angular plate |01. A flangedchannel section bracket Illl for supporting the engine is telescopedbetween the vertical channels 3B of the strut 28, the top wall of thechannel |01, and the horizontally extending arm of an angle I which issecured through its other arm to the plate Il inter-connecting thechannels 30. The

bracket thus forms a wide overlap with the parts with which ittelescopes and through this overlap is strongly secured in all itsoverlapping faces by numerous spot welds.

As shown in Figure 18, the top rail member Il is reinforced by an angleHd secured to the bottom of the channel and having an arm extendinginwardly. It is through this inwardly extending arm that the panel Il!is secured` (see Figure i6). In certain regions as across the dooropening this member is additionally reinforced by an angle llloverlapping the horizontal arm of the angle H0 and the iiange of thechannel Il and secured thereto to form a box cross-section. The boxcross-'section may additionally be strengthened by braces of Zcross-section III.

Similarly the bottom member I2 is reinforced throughout the bottom ofthe door opening by an inner plate III constituting it a boxcrosssection member. Similarly this box cross-section may be reinforcedby Z members H2.

As shown in Figure 18, the doors themselves may each constitute aperipheral trame III of inwardly facing channel cross-section betweenthe vertical side members of which are extended the overlapping butspaced Z-section members IIS secured between the side walls oi thechannels. This construction permits the Ventilating oi the enginecompartment but by reason of the overlapping of the 2s prevents theentrance of rain into the engine compartment.

In the foregoing detailed description, a speciiic form in which theinvention may be embodied has been described but it .will be understoodthat changes and modiilcations in the structure may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvenltion and such modiilcations are intended to be t WhatIclaimis:

l. A body construction for vehicles including two transversely spacedmain longitudinal frame members disposed beneath the main body of theflooring and secured thereto, side wall portions extending below themain body oi the ilooring a substantial distance, and a central deep andwide channel section member arranged between and transversely spacedfrom said frame members and providing a depressed aisle section of theflooring, all said parts, extending substantially from end to end of thebody, means structurally interconnecting all said parts at certainintervals so that they mutually brace each other against buckling andare consequently adapted for taking end collision shocks far beyond thestrength oi' the single parts.

2. A vehicle door and underframe construction having a central deep andwide generally U-section aisle portion and longitudinal beams spaced onopposite side therefrom but on the inner side of the location forsupporting wheels, said aisle portion and beams running from front torear wheel suspension, side walls extending below the door level, saidaisle portion, said beams and said A side walls being transverselystructurally interconnected below the iloor by spaced transversebulkheads oi the type forming substantially closed partition walls andbeing adapted to transmit stresses between the members to which they areconnected.

3. A vehicle floor having a longitudinal erally U-section aisle portionextending over a small part of the width of the structure only, andhaving longitudinal beams spaced on opposite sides from the aisle andfrom the outer longitudinal margins of the structure; said aisle portionand beams running from the iront to the rear wheel suspension, beinginterconnected by iloor panels, one on each side of said aisle, andbeing and underl'rame structure additionally transversely interconnectedby ion gitudinally spaced means arranged below the door so as tomutually brace each other.

4. A vehicle iloor and underframe structure having a longitudinalcentral deep and wide generally .U-section aisle portion extending overa small part of the width of the structure only. and having longitudinalbeams spaced on opposite sides of the aisle and from the outerlongitudinal margins ot the structure: said aisle portion and beamsrunning from the front to the rear wheel suspension, iioor panels, oneon each side of said central deep and wide geny aisle, interconnectingthe latter and said beams. a second panel being horizontally arranged ata distance below said iloor panel; said aisle, beams and panels beinginterconnected by longitudinally spaced strong plate-type bulkheadsarranged in vertical transverse position below the floor.

5. In a vehicle body; a longitudinal central structure comprising anaisle U-shaped in crosssection and a pair o! beams. one on each side ofand close to the aisle floor panels. one on each side of the aisle,being arranged substantially in the plane of and connected to the uppermargins of the aisle and ci said beams; said iioor panels being arrangedabove and extending laterally over the location for the road wheels:said central structure extending between and fore and aft the locationof a pair oi' the wheels;' load-carrying side walls being connected withand extending fore and ai't the wheel location a substantial disarrangedimmediately tore and another bulkhead immediately aft the wheellocation; said subooring extending to one o! said last-named bulkheadsand the side walls ending between said two bulkheads at a higher levelthan in the longitudinally adjacent regions so as to present an meningfor the lateral insertion or removal oi thewheels.

6. In a. body according to claim 5, said side walls extending in theregion for the wheels to a level below the flooring though to a lessextent than in the adjacent regions.

RAYMOND J. THERIAULT.

